I had my 99 Accord EX V6 Sedan serviced at the dealer last week, including a trans. flush. When I got the car home, I noticed that the trans. fluid was overfilled by about a quarter of an inch. I didn't think much of it at the time; after all, I just got it back from its 75,000 mile service.

Since then, I have read that an overfull trans. is a very bad thing because the fluid can foam. But my question is, How much is overfull? A quarter of an inch isn't much on a ruler, of course, but on the dipstick, it's about 100% of the distance between add and full.

I have owned this car for a week, and I'm still working through the new-owner anxiety thing, but then again, you all know about V6 automatics. . . .

BTW, I should mention that I read the manual about how to check the trans. fluid. Warm engine. Park level. Engine off. Pull out and clean dipstick. Repeat, but read before you clean. Put dipstick back where you found it.

Most of the transmission issues have been with V6s. At the very least, perform the maintenance on an automatic transmission to the absolute letter of the Owner's Manual.

This is an excerpt of a letter that Honda American sent to some Honda owners about what to look and listen for with Honda transmissions.

Quote:

These characteristics are normal; they should not require you to call your Honda dealer.

Quick downshifts. The transmission has a computerized control system called grade logic. When going down a hill, even a light touch of the brake pedal can cause grade logic to downshift to the next lower gear. Downshifting helps to slow the vehicle through engine braking.

Does not always shift through the full range of gears. This can also be caused by the grade logic system keeping the transmission in the optimum gear for different driving conditions.

Mechanical noise when selecting a forward or reverse gear. It's normal to hear a slight mechanical noise when moving the shift lever from one gear to another. This noise can sound abnormally loud if any of the windows are down and you are parked next to a wall or another vehicle.

Vehicle may not hold its position when stopped on an incline in gear (may roll backward when the brake pedal is released). This can occur on most Honda-made vehicles. It is one of the measures used to improve fuel economy.

Hard shifts before the engine warms up. By design, the transmission shifts a little harder when the engine is cold. It returns to smoother shifting when the engine warms up.

These characteristics are not normal; if you experience any of them, call your Honda dealer.

While driving, the D4 indicator on the instrument panel flashes.

An abnormally loud noise from the transmission.

Extremely slow or delayed gear engagement, upshifts, or downshifts.

Abnormal gear slippage during upshifts or downshifts.

Erratic or excessively harsh shifting.

Automatic transmission fluid (ATF) leaks.

End quote.

I just bought an 99 ex v6 and am trying not to worry too much about the transmission. What can you do except perform the maintenance and service as stated in the manual? If you poke around on the web too much, you might get the impression that every Honda V6 has a bad transmission. This is just not the case. When people have a problem, a lot of them go to the internet and complain. Happy Honda drivers often can't stop grinning long enough to post on the internet.

Thanks EZ for the info. I think i'm going to call the dealer and verify my vin. I've got 78k on my V6 accord and i think i'll feel more at ease (as Bolivar posted) once i know for sure since it is the "commute" car for the wife. Thanks again.

Exactly right. However, with the exception of the hot weather. The random stalls occured, just that, randomly. One of the service monkies told me to bring in the car when it wouldn't start for an accurate assessment. "We're out of luck unless it dies here," I told him. They're solution: Park my car outside of the garage, hood up, and leave it idling for 45 minutes. Of course it didn't stall there and only resulted in me driving away with less gas in the tank. This whole process took almost a year until they diagnosed it properly. By then my O2 sensor fried and cat burned up. 45k later the car runs like a Honda should

Just found out i've got an oil leak at rear oil seal. I took my 99 EX to get the ignition recall done and i just inquired about some leak i noticed from near engine/transmission. I read somewhere on the internet that the rear engine oil seal can be easily replaced during the timing belt change. I've got 76k on my car so i've got about 15k more to go before i change the timing belt. The oil leak is very minimal and i've never had to supplement oil during my oil changes. Is it true about the timing belt and the seal? Can i hold out? Thanks.

your problem with a faulty fuel relay switch smacks of a similar problem i am having with my 99 accord (with a mere 270k miles) When the temp rises as it is doing now car will start fine but will then just die- leave it to cool it will start right up again. The diagnostic codes say cat system below threshold.....do these symptoms indicate a faulty fuel relay switch ????

Hi i have a 1998 Honda Accord coupe v6. for some reason whenever i drove it over a speed bump or a little pothole, i notice a knocking sound on the driver side front wheels. when i drive on regular level road, the car feels normal without any sound at all. i've tried go under the car but dont notices anything out of place. so i was just wondering if anyone know what can be the problem.... help would be gladly appreciated.

i was wondering how do you know when is it time to recharge your a/c . when i turn my a/c on i notice that it kinda shake a little then when you start drive the shaking kinda goes away but after a while it would come back.... is that a sign telling me to recharge or add freon to my car.????

There is no need to recharge an A/C system because of age. Refrigerant will last the life of the system.

The only time you would need to recharge the system would be if a leak developes, and/or a component fails and the system needs to be repaired.

If the A/C seems to be cooling as well as it always has, then it should be OK. If it doesn't seem to be working well, then maybe it's low on refrigerant.

I'm guessing the shaking you feel is the compressor kicking on/off. Low refrigerant should not shake the system anymore then a full system. There is always the possibility of something else has worn (motor mount) that's allowing the engine to shake more then before.

Drive the car and jiggle the key while watching your dash lights if they dim or you can actually get the car to stall then you need to replace the electrical part of the ignition switch (be persistent with the jiggling) . You have a lot of use on this ignition switch and it could well be worn out. Compare the profile of the key you always use with one you seldom use, such as the valet key, mine had a completely rounded bottom edge wheras the valet keys edge was pointed. This is potentially dangerous as, in my case, the car stalled while driving it 35MPH. There is no code that your computer will give you to show the switch is going bad.

I have a 2002 Honda Accord EX Coupe. It has been nothing but wonderful to me and now, 4 days before my lease is up, it will not start. In live in an area with extreme heat and the car was not driven for about 10 days. I would assume this is a simple battery issue, but all lights, stereo, AC, etc, came on just fine. Wouldn't they all be dead if it was just a dead battery? Is there another power source for all of these items?? The car did start after being jumped and we let it charge for about 20 minutes. Now, the next morning, will not start again. This is the original battery.....Ideas???

I had the EXACT same thing happen to me yesterday. Turned the key and all I heard was an electrical, static sound, though the keyless entry, radio, etc. worked. Jump started fine, and drove normally, but even after driving for 30 minutes, it would not start up again. Charged the battery on an external battery charger until the load test showed full power, again, once I turned off the ignition and tried to re-start.....nothing.

In my case, it was the battery. I purchased the car used almost two years ago and the battery was an Exide brand that was half way though it's warranty. I took it to a nearby NTB, that sells Exide batteries and would honor the warranty.

Before you start getting dizzy from the $$ signs involved with replacing the starter or alternator, check and see if your battery is still under warranty. Before I realized my battery was under warranty, I priced some that would fit my car (1998 Honda Accord EX V-6), and found they started around $49.95 and went up from there.

Good luck! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, though after going through it myself less than 24 hours ago, I'd bet my last dime it's your battery.

Thanks for the response jtjohnson. Luckily all turned out well and it was just the battery. I went to Wal-mart and just got a cheapy battery put in as my lease is up tomorrow and I don't see the need to spend extra money at this point! Sometimes things turn out not to be so bad after all! Thanks for the input!

hello all, i have a 1998 honda accord lx and ive had the car about a year. it has the 2.3 litre 4cyl sohc vtec and ive noticed that when the engine is started when cold it runs fine but when you come to a stop about a quarter a mile after the engine is running and then go to accelerate again it acts like the engine wants to die or bog down. :mad: lately ive noticed that it is starting to do it when warm sometimes as well. what could be the problem??? also im not sure but i have never seen a srs light come on when the car is started. but the computer codes always come back clear so i dont think there is a error report for it.

I believe Honda recommends 90k. I did mine at 75k, along with the water pump, which is usually the recommended way.

I wish you better luck than I had. The mechanic cracked the timing belt cover and knocked over the oil dipstick tube, which is right next to it. Oil all over the engine compartment. He repaired it and cleaned the engine compartment, but what a mess.

I have a 2000 Honda EX that I just took to the shop recently. It's making a noise-can't really explain it, I'm just WAY more aware of engine noise these days. The mechanic said that it was coming from the differential/transmission area. He drained the transmission fluid, but couldn't find anything wrong. It only has 62,000 miles on it-way too early for the transmission to go out, but now I'm stuck with a noisy car that I can barely stand to drive anymore. I'm afraid if it can't be fixed, I'm done with Honda, which is the ONLY make of car that I buy. I'm really disappointed, dleghof

Thanks Normkol. Did you get it serviced at Honda dealer? I'm to the point where since i know i'll get ripped off anyways, i'd rather get ripped off from a big company, like the dealerships. I never feel good after i get charged an arm and a leg for a service on the car. Now i know why people lease. How much did it run you?

I own a 98 Honda Accord 4 cylinder Vtec engine and it is stated in the owners manual under the Maintenance Schedule section (At 105,000 miles or 7 years to replace the timing belt,timing balancer belt,and inspect the water pump).However i feel it is better to replace the water pump as you are there at it when the timing belts are replaced.Check your owners manual and you may save some costly maintenance and money.i am looking at my manual as i am telling you this.This manual is for both 6 and 4 cylinders.

No, I used a private mechanic. This was in January and I haven't used him again.

Besides the problems I mentioned, I told him to use Honda antifreeze, and even offered to get it for him. He admitted later that he used a regular aftermarket. I then gave him a gallon of Honda antifreeze and insisted he redo it.

I think I paid about $450, but that included changing some hoses and the thermostat. He only changed the upper and lower radiator hoses, even though I asked him to change them all, heater and bypass. The car has 80k miles, and I thought that while changing the water pump, this would be a good time to overhaul the entire cooling system.

hi, i have an accord ex-v6 1998 that as of 3 days ago has begun having a problem. the power locks don't work, either from the remote or the thing on the door; the alarm system is off and non functional, and lastly, the passenger side windows cannot be opened or closed from the driver's door panel, but can be opened and closed from the door that the window is on. any diagnosis? we tried changing fuse #12 and did a visual inspection of all the others and they were all fine. help!!!

I have the same problem. I have a 2001 EX V6 accord coupe. I just had my timing belt and water pump replace in late May. I went to attempt to use the cruise control over the weekend and it does not work.

the light on the dashboard lights up and the light in the display lights up but the cruise control does not engage.

I got the code for the front sensor, the same as I got a year ago. I reset the code then and it didn't come back for a year. I reset it again now, and it hasn't come back yet, but I think it's time to change the sensors. The gas mileage is dropping, probably due to the sensors being out of range.

Is it hard to break them free, after six years? What do you use, WD-40 or is there something better?